Oct. 6, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The three-time defending Big Ten Champion Penn State Lady Lion basketball team opened their 2014-15 season with their first official practice on Monday, October 6 in the South Gym at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Led by three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Coquese Washington, the Lady Lions are coming off of a season that brought a third consecutive Big Ten regular season championship back to Happy Valley. It was the first time school history that the Lady Lions have won three-straight regular-season conference titles (Big Ten or Atlantic 10).
After the graduation of a very accomplished senior class, senior forward Tori Waldner (Milton, Ga.) is the top returnee for Penn State. She started every game as a junior and averaged 4.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. She also rejected 39 shots a year ago to bring her career total to 89, which is tied for 11th on PSU's career list.
Also returning for the Lady Lions are sophomores Kaliyah Mitchell (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Peyton Whitted (Suwanee, Ga.). Mitchell is the second-leading returning scoring at 4.5 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds per outing. Whitted accounted for 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds with a .522 field goal percentage in conference play. Overall, she was second on the team in field goal percentage with a .463 mark.
The Lady Lions will be hosting the Second Annual Lady Lion Community Carnival on Sunday, Oct. 19 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center. The carnival is absolutely free and will provide entertainment for kids of all ages. Fans will have their chance to dunk their favorite Lady Lions in a dunk tank as part of the activities. Doors will open at 3 p.m. Attendees should park in the parking lot adjacent to the Bryce Jordan Center (commuter Lot 44) and enter through Gate B of the BJC.
Season tickets and mini-plans are available by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Adult season tickets are $105, youth season tickets are $52 and courtside season tickets are $247. Additionally, the Family Season Ticket package, which features two adult tickets and two youth tickets in the family section in section 114L, is $210. There is a $15 handling fee per order on season tickets. The PNC Flex Books are $120 and give fans 12 vouchers, 10 that can be redeemed in any combination for Nittany Lion and Lady Lion Basketball tickets throughout the year and two extra vouchers for the Nittany Lions' Coaches Vs. Cancer game and the Lady Lions' Pink Zone game.
The Lady Lions also have a pair of mini-plans available this season with the B1G Deal and the Five for the 50th plans. The B1G Deal is a mini-plan that includes the nine Big Ten Conference home games. Tickets for the B1G Deal are $90 for adult sideline, $63 for youth sideline, $63 for adult baseline and $45 for youth baseline tickets. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Penn State, there is a Five for the 50th mini-plan. The plan features a ticket to the following games: South Florida (12/21), Illinois (1/4), Rutgers (1/10), Michigan State (2/11) and Ohio State (2/26). The package is $50 in honor of the 50th anniversary.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstateladylions.